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House Review: Nothing Ever Changes

Taub is bored by his children. House has a patient (Callie) he seems to relate to. Dr. Adams is self-righteous. And Foreman's affair comes to an end.

And other than those items, "Runaways" was for the most part a filler episode. If an episode is going to be a filler, it needs to be humorous. It can't rely on boring stories about Foreman and Taub that most viewers aren't all that interested in. Remember the season six episode, "The Down Low?" It's the one where Wilson is trying to date his neighbor and House pretends he and Wilson are gay so he can get the girl?

That one was a complete filler, but so hilarious and memorable! Don't waste the comedic potential, please. It's too vast.

We didn't learn anything new tonight and the most positive thing I have to say about this episode is that I enjoyed the patient because she reminded me of other patients I liked. Remember the CIPA patient from "Insensitive," in season three? She couldn't feel any pain and jumped off the balcony in the lobby? She was spunky and fun and fought with her mother.

There was also the daughter from season four's "It's a Wonderful Lie." Also spunky. Also with mother issues. If there's anything that this show likes, it's teenage girls that have a little sass, which I can definitely appreciate. House certainly seemed to take a liking to this one. But why?

House always respects those people that make the harder choices he considers right. He tells Callie's mother, "Your daughter is better off without you. So let her be better off without you."

While Dr. Adams seems to disagree with this choice, House sees himself in the young girl. Or would like to. I also wonder if the writers had Cuddy leaving House in mind when they wrote this. Could be totally wishful thinking, but Cuddy left House in part because he couldn't handle real pain and was addicted to Vicodin. It was a tough choice, and in the writers' minds, the right choice to leave House and move forward. Doubt they would appreciate the Cuddy/patient homeless parallel, though (Cuddy's house is wrecked by House's car, patient chooses not to live anywhere...see? It's not a stretch at all). I digress.

During the rest of the episode, Taub returns with both of his Sophias and not much else. I'm glad he's learning to be a better father, but I think his airtime can be better spent. Perhaps be House making more short jokes? Although, without this storyline, we wouldn't have seen Chase's peek-a-boo.

And Foreman. Now that this so-called easy, breezy, risky relationship is over, he wants nothing to do with her? That's so...male. And so not Foreman from what we've seen. I'm not so sure I like that House considers him and Foreman to be similar people. How are they alike? Stubborn, smart, attractive...I'm out! If they take Foreman's need for risk somewhere, I'll be interested, but only if it goes somewhere other than another relationship.

Does that leave us with only more about the patient left? I'm having trouble finding depth in this episode. In the end, even though Callie knows her mother is sober now, she leaves, choosing her homeless life over the more painful one of dealing with her mother's (inevitable?) relapse, thus reinforcing House's continued mantra of "People don't change."

As far as next week's episode goes, you'll love it. I've seen it and it's by far the best of this season, which yes, I know, doesn't mean all that much to some of you, but it is format-breaking and informative and dramatic, pretty much the polar opposite of this week's. I'll be thrilled if they stick with the more serious tone and dig deep into House's psyche, something I feel has been lacking from the current season.